How To Get Rid of Shallow Writing & A Quick Technique Book

Have you ever felt that you were writing a story as if you were looking at it from an outside window? Those are my bad writing days. I hate it when the prose goes flat, the characters have to be pinned up against wall (or as, in this case, a tree) they’re such paper cutouts, and the plot has become a series of not-too-exciting episodes.

A few years ago I heard a speaker at a conference who gave us an exercise to try in small groups. It was this: We had to think of a single picture of something very private. Something we wouldn’t want anyone else to see–so secret that we wouldn’t even carry it in our wallets for fear of being in an accident and having a paramedic discover it. (Kind of the ratty panties or shorts your grandmother warned you never to wear in case you wound up in a hospital.)

Then once we had the image that made us squirm with embarrassment or discomfort, we had to write or re-write something–a scene from one of our WIPs, a character description, a setting we’d been trying to nail and hadn’t.

The premise behind this was to make us understand our job as writers is to reveal what’s hidden and disturbing and in some cases fear-provoking. We can do that best if we start by revealing what we’ve hidden: that deep seated panic of being lost, that sense of despair when someone we love dies, the intense hatred of another, the embarrassment of the flub in front of people.

I have a few of these snapshots and I use them when I’m doing what I call shallow writing. And, no, you can’t see them. You might get a peek at my shallow writing, however.

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I’m doing a Summer Sale for Sliding on the Edge, so it will be selling for .99 through June 26.

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A writer friend just published a concise, but jam-packed little book. She presents her 5 last techniques she learned. These are what saw her fiction published. It’s out in paperback and Kindle. A great QUICK desktop helpmate. I did a REVIEW if you want to see more specifics about what I found positive in her book.

I think the most important thing for an author to do is to keep on writing and submitting. There is no guarantee that their work will be accepted by the agent/editor they sent their story to. Building their social media platform is also highly important.

And for the survey – it's crazy, but I think the #1 thing to do is keep writing on the next project, or even something for fun. #2 ask blog buddies in advance for help with a cover reveal, book promo post, etc. – I didn't do that enough this last time.

I like this exercise. I can see where it would be very helpful. Glad you shared it with us. Will have to give it a try.

As for being in the submission stage, I would recommend looking ahead to marketing – potential blog tour spots, places to guest post, Facebook groups, etc. – all places to help spread the word. I'd write up a good handful of "stock questions" that could be used for interviews on the tour and otherwise (for those who don't have time to interview you but want to share more than just the book info). I'd draft a handful of guest posts to potentially share during the tour and later. And I'd definitely take time for a chocolate or other kind of break. 🙂 Launching a book can get a little taxing, so a little treat is always nice.

Thanks for the writing tip, Lee. In terms of your survey, I would say organizing a mailing list of who you will tell when you get the good news. Other options include setting up social media accounts if you haven't already, joining places like Goodreads, and possibly planning a website update.

Im so glad I caught your sale… gonna go now… but firsIt…most important thing to do? Overall? not necessarily toward promotion? I suppose it would be to keep writing but perhaps with less focus on an actual goal and just for the enjoyment of it to keep your chops limber…I dunno really… hmmmm…gotta think….

I do understand, however, I try to write with transparency and put up my fears for all to read.. However, a small picture of something very private. Right then, time for a selfie, now that I know it's not supposed to be a rude thing.

The most important thing a writer can do to help publicise the awareness of their book is to have a blog hop. Hang on, promote yourself on "Farcebook", on "Twittery Tweet", or "MissingLinkedin."

If that doesn't work, the writer can contact Penny the Jack Russell dog and modest internet superstar! Acclaimed pawblisher and pawmoter!

We have to dig deeper as writers–to that place we never really want to show anyone. That's the tough part. But the good news is, often people don't realize you're putting those secret parts out there because you can hide them as having come from your imagination!

I will have to try this, because shallowness is a problem for me sometimes.

As for how to pass time in the waiting room, it depends. Write a new book. Research the anticipated next phase of the publishing process. Design a website. Do taxes. Clean the bathroom. Go to the beach. Whatever is most needed right now. 😉

I don't have shallowness problems with my MCs, but my supporting characters and descriptions always need a lot of tweaking so I don't end up with standard rooms in the burbs, populated by mannequins with 2.5 baby mannequins. (Those half mannequins are especially boring.)

My opinion is to make sure social media is in place. If it already is – just write that next book, and then the one after that. 🙂

LOL to those incriminating photos….We all have at least one of those that make us cringe…

As for the survey… since I am in that same situation… what I'm doing… critiquing other's work, RESEARCHING other agents, because the rejections are coming in… and what I found very odd is in my research many agents are asking for a SYNOPSIS along with the query and first five or ten page. EEEK! SO, if you don't have a synopsis, I STRONGLY suggest writing a tight one right now… I mentioned this to a writer friend of mine and she sent me a link on how to write a synopsis that will give you a good in with an agent. Here's the link for anyone who needs it…

Thank you for sharing this Lee!It sounds like an excellent exercise.Now I'm off to photocopy this page, and then I'll file this gem in my private stash of 'writerly pick-me-uppers'…(The 'ratty panties' issue made me smile… definitely belongs to the USGC – Universal Society of Grandmotherly Collaboration…)

That's a great idea–I'll have to try it sometime. I think starting the next book would be the most important thing. You don't ever want to stop writing, or put all of your faith into the book you've already sent out. And I'd imagine it would be a great distraction from the stress of waiting.

The survey: Start the next book. I think the only exception to this is if you've been doing so much writing lately that it's legitimately time for a break for the well-filling phase. Read. Give a little time to your social media, especially if it needs some updating. But focus on a new project or at least the idea-phase of a new project as soon as you can. Falling in love with a new project is the way to manage our emotions about the old. We should also realize that not only can a rejection come at any time, but so can a sale, and we need to accept the topsy-turviness of that when it happens.

That's a pretty cool technique for addressing those moments when the writing wades into shallow territory. Thank you for sharing that.

I better check my TBR to make sure I have Sliding on the Edge already purchased. I think I got it a while back around the time I got Alligators Overhead. But I'll get it if I slipped up and missed getting it before.

Congrats on Victoria's release. It's great to share what helps to make one a success as it can help guide others to their successes.

Answer to your survey:Craft a decent tagline (something I'm learning to just now start doing so yeah, I'm late to the tagline party lol!!) and work on the next book, whether it's a sequel or another stand alone novel. Got to stay busy or the waiting will cause a lot of cra-cra-crazy 🙂